Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, john@j... wrote:
> Well, one of the frustrations I have with the kit is the inability 
to
> load my own samples. Listening to Real Gone, Tom Waits, there seem 
to
> be the sounds of all manner of kitchen implements in there which are
> unavailable to me through the DT Express. So, linking to a PC and
> opening up a world of sampled drum sounds sounds interesting.
> 
> I'm wondering though, firstly, at a very basic level, if I recorded
> the sound of me hitting a baking tray with a wooden spoon and set 
that
> up as a sample, it would be a fairly unsubtle affair. I'd trigger,
> presumably, the same sample, with the same dynamics every time. The
> more subtle I wanted it, the more I'd need professional recording 
and
> processing equipment and knowledge. And, there's the cost of the PC,
> and the software, and the cables and so on. And then there's the 
PC's
> unreliability when it comes to going out on the road.
> 
> Would it actually be simpler and cheaper to change the DTXpress 
brain
> for something else that does allow you to import samples. Is there a
> Yamaha upgrade path or would I be headed into Roland territory?

J.,

With a PC and a good sampling program you'd be able to process the 
kitchen sink to your heart's content. But the complexity of the 
setup, especially on the road, is the reason why modules are so 
attractive, unless you have a dedicated tech person and a big budget. 
If importing samples is an important feature for you, you might just 
as well leave the DTXpress behind. Roland won't help you, since none 
of its modules currently can accept samples (although people expect 
the hideously expensive TD-20 eventually to acquire that capacity). 

The only modules on the market that sample at this point are the 
exquisite-soundng ddrum4, which may be worth looking into, though, as 
a ten-year old model never upgraded in memory capacity and MIDI 
capability, it has significant practical limitations (I own one but 
not for sampling); the Alesis DM Pro, which is all but moribund; and 
the Yamaha DTXTIIU, which is probably your best bet (and a damn good 
module to boot). The Yamaha costs considerably less than the Roland 
high-end module, more like the TD-8. It doesn't have a tremendous 
memory for sampling, but maybe for your needs; OGD or someone else 
here, or at Yahoo DTXtreme or DTXperience.com, can probably give you 
some pointers. As far as getting the particular samples to sound good 
before they reach the module, you might look for individual 
collections of software samples that include what you want. 

Of course, the other thing you could do if you want to retain the 
DTXPress and not spend too much more money, is to try and find a used 
or otherwise affordable hardware sampler that you could use in 
conjunction with the DTXpress module.

Ed